Peggy Confides in Me
by FlickerInTheDark
Summary: Peggy has an argument with her sister and who is there to help Peggy?


**A/N: This idea did come from an anonymous comment on one of my previous stories and I had already been planning on writing this idea anyway. But thank you for expressing interest! Not my best work as I wrote this on the plane coming back from the Netherlands. Once again I ship Peggy and John Laurens. Enjoy!**

Peggy was the youngest of the Schuyler sisters and had always been ignored or treated as the pet of the family. She was only a year younger then Eliza and wasn't a baby. This was particularly evident when her sisters pressured her into going into town when their father had explicitly said not to.

"But daddy said not to go down town!" she protested.

"Like I said you're free to go," Eliza said patting her cheeks. Eliza always did this since she was very small and it annoyed Peggy she felt she was simply a toy.

That night their father scolded them.

"Angelica, Eliza, Peggy. I do not know what I am to do with you girls. I told you not to go into the city without a chaperone or myself. It's very dangerous with war looming overhead. Riots, gunfire or chaos could break out and you my daughters would be in danger! Even without the current situation it is improper for you girls to be out alone!" their father boomed.

"But..." Angelica tried to interject.

"You. Angelica I would have thought you would have enough sense to not go against my orders. I would have thought, being the eldest, you would set an example." His voice dripped with disappointment. He never thought he would have to scold his eldest daughter who was usually so mature and reasonable.

Angelica hung her head in shame. She had no excuse for her actions besides her own want to engage in the actions in the streets.

"Eliza. You are a smart girl. Why would you go along with such an excursion! To encourage Peggy to stray from her morals, I am very disappointed."

Angelica and Eliza had wondered how their father found out but they suddenly realized with this detail about Peggy that Peggy must have told their father. She was the most daddy's girl and never went against him.

"Peggy I am proud you told me. Now all of you will not be leaving this house without express permission from now on. Up to your rooms for the rest of the evening," their father said rubbing his forehead.

The sisters then dejectedly walked up to their rooms. Angelica just looked crushed that her father had scolded her that way. Eliza was angry that her sister always had to tell their father. _Why can't she just let the rules slide? It was in good fun and nothing happened._

Peggy knew she had done the right thing but couldn't help feeling she had broken her sisters trust.

Things like this just kept happening. Either she would do something to annoy her sisters or they would do something to set her off.

One afternoon Peggy was talking about her growing affections for John Laurens, "I mean I haven't properly talked to him but from everything I can tell he seems quite nice."

"Oh Peggy you are so adorable," Eliza said distracted by her book.

"Adorable?" Peggy could already feel the anger in her cheeks.

"The way you talk of love. You've never courted and yet you sound as though you have courted for eons," Eliza said looking up and smiling.

Peggy knew her sister meant well. But every time Eliza treated her as if she was naïve and too young to really understand the world, it made Peggy want to scream. Peggy decided she would hold her tongue. It wasn't worth getting into a fight about this.

Angelica waltzed in then, "Hello ladies."

"Hello," we both replied.

"Are you quite excited for Alexander's visit?" Angelica said. That was why Angelica walked with lightness. She and Eliza got all giddy when he came round. Peggy wished she could feel the same. She never got the same chance at getting to know him as her sisters. Her sisters seemed to dominate the conversation and shushed her. She couldn't tell if they were doing this on purpose or if it was accident. It had to be accidental. Eliza and Angelica were not malicious in anyway.

Then the two began to have an intense conversation in which they completely ignored Peggy. Anytime she chirped in with a suggestion for how they might have a successful encounter, they always just laughed and called her "sweet".

"When is he coming?" Peggy asked bored.

"Quarter past eleven," Angelica said.

"Peggy what's wrong?" Eliza asked. As if she didn't know.

"Nothing," Peggy snapped. She didn't mean to but for her sisters to not see what they kept doing, when she noticed everything about them. They always were oblivious to Peggy's concerns or feeling.

"Peggy?" Angelica asked.

"It is just that you both just sweep what I have to say under the rug. My suggestion to serve him the lemon cakes rather then the chocolate cakes was a good idea since I know he happens to like lemon better. But I suppose sweet little Peggy doesn't know anything," Peggy sighed. She had never sounded sarcastic or rude but in this instance she thought this was the only way for her sister to hear her.

"You're cute when you are angry," Eliza smiled, "I'm sorry."

"There you go again! Calling me cute! It is like you don't take me seriously. I am only a year younger then you and two years younger then Angelica!" Peggy said tears brimming. She hatted that whenever she felt an extreme emotion she began to cry.

"There, there little rabbit," Angelica, said coming over and hugging her.

"You can't even comfort me like I'm young adult! Angelica I know you like to be with Eliza more then me…."

"I do not," Angelica interrupted.

"Yes you do. You cut me off, but with Eliza you always let her finish. You never scold her. When I told father what we did you scolded me for telling when it was Eliza's idea to begin with," Peggy said.

"We don't mean to," Eliza sighed.

Peggy decided to leave. She couldn't be civil right now and decided to go cool off. As she walked out the door Alexander was coming up the path to the house.

"Hello Peggy!" he called to her cheerfully before seeing the tears.

"Hello alexander," she said and continued past him.

"Wait," Alexander said. He turned around and started following her. Peggy was going to the back gardens now. She had planned to go tot the front yard but now circled around so she might have some privacy behind the hedges.

"Please I'm fine really," Peggy said.

"No you're not," Alexander called.

Peggy knew Alexander would not let this go so she slowed down and waited for Alexander to catch up.

Panting Alexander said, "What brings tears this fine day?"

"It isn't a big deal. My sisters and I just had a sisterly argument."

"That may be but I think there is something more," Alexander said as he brushed leaves off of a stone bench behind a hedge.

"Well I must confide in something," I paused. _Should I tell him? What business does he have in this argument? It would probably bore him._

"Yes?" Alexander was now intensely focused on what Peggy had to say. He looked at him as though she was about to say the most exciting thing in the world.

"It's simply that my sisters and society sees me as either just the 'youngest' Schuyler or 'and Peggy'. For as long as I've been alive I have always been the baby in people's eyes. No one takes me seriously or thinks I am simply too naïve to understand," Peggy began.

"People dismiss me and think I am just another pretty face. I love my sisters but they talk down to me and think I am brown noser. I am sure my sisters think I am a silly fool."

"That's not true. I've heard Eliza speak about you and she thinks you are kind. I quote, 'And Peggy's the kindest person I know. I don't know how she is always so kind to people. She seems to have knowledge far beyond her years, because only people who have lived a life really understand people like Peggy'," Alexander said.

Peggy was shocked. She never thought Eliza would think so highly of her.

"So you see that is why we are out in the garden instead of being inside with my sisters. I apologize for Impeding upon your visit," Peggy finished.

"No. You mustn't think that. It's been lovely to find out what you've been thinking about. I understand how you feel," Alexander said grasping her hand as if to stop her from getting up.

"Oh?"

"Yes. People underestimate and see me as the immigrant or a right hand man. I know how it feels when people don't let you rise to your occasion, so to speak. I'll tell you a secret. I ask General Washington to entrust me with a command. Every time he dismisses me out of hand. It is as if he sees me as a son he needs to protect. My stature doesn't help," Alexander mused.

"I can assure you my sisters and I never have thought those things."

"You and your sisters are most kind. But I can understand living in a shadow. But you just need to write your story. Make people see you as who you truly are. Your sisters mean well, you are lucky to have people who care so much."

This may be the first time Peggy thought, someone was speaking tot her seriously and just to her. This instance she was Peggy Schuyler and not 'And Peggy'.

"Shall we return to the house?" Alexander said after gaging she was all right.

"Yes. Thank you for allowing me this confession," Peggy said as he helped me up.

"Of course."

They entered the house. Alexander discreetly said he would be in the drawing room because he "wanted a better look at the painting over the mantle".

The sisters scooted off to a side room where her two sisters flung their arms around Peggy.

"I'm sorry for storming out," Peggy said slightly muffled.

"No need. We were being insensitive," they chimed.

Just like that the sisters were back to normal. They had an easy way with forgiving each other. They found Alexander good as his word staring intensely at the painting.

"Learn anything new?" Angelica said standing beside Alexander.

"So much," Alexander said looking back at Peggy.

 **A/N: Sorry if the conflict resolution is cheesy!**


End file.
